Davidson realizes Stephen Curry makes them famous

December 20, 2008|By Shannon Ryan, Tribune reporter

Davidson need not leave North Carolina to realize its path from the D-list to red-carpet stardom.

Coach Bob McKillop has been leading the Wildcats for 20 years and has never seen Belk Arena sell out as it currently does. Red jerseys and T-shirts are fashionable in Davidson, and not just because of the holiday season. The athletic department has received about 300 requests for guard Stephen Curry to sign various Christmas presents.

The Wildcats were like precocious, cute-as-a-button child stars at last season's NCAA tournament when they rode an unlikely wave to the Elite Eight with wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin before losing to eventual champion Kansas.

Now they are grown up, but rest assured, not stuck up, they say.

"When we stop receiving this [attention] as a gift and as an opportunity, then it becomes tedious and boring and repetitive," McKillop said. "We've been in the other position."

Nobody can ignore the Wildcats this season.

No. 13 Purdue (8-2) certainly can't when it faces No. 22 Davidson (8-1) on Saturday in Indianapolis at the John Wooden Tradition.

The Boilermakers have wasted enough opportunities to enhance their profile, losing to fourth-ranked Oklahoma and freezing against sixth-ranked Duke. A victory against Davidson would boost Purdue's No. 122 RPI rating. The Wildcats own a No. 27 RPI rating.

Davidson learned last season -- with a four-point loss to No. 1 North Carolina, a six-point loss to No. 7 Duke and a 12-point loss to No. 7 UCLA -- the important of nonconference games in developing the toughness that can translate into postseason victories.

"It's the same core of guys who have been there before and seen what it takes to win at this level," Curry said. "We haven't played our best basketball, but we've played hard. It's a great start to this year."

With the graduation of Barrington native Jason Richards, Curry moved to point guard and is leading the nation with 31.9 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent. He has 6.8 assists to 3.6 turnovers per game.

The junior, a son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, has faced a variety of defenses this season. Loyola (Md.) double-teamed Curry for the entire game -- even when he didn't have the ball -- and held him scoreless but still lost.

"I see him every day, I don't just see him on ESPN," McKillop said. "Seeing him every day has reinforced my feelings about him. I see the leadership. I see the character. I see the humility. He is the rarest student-athlete because he has a combination of those great traits."

McKillop does not mind admitting what most anyone who has watched Davidson already knows. Curry has put Davidson on the map, and he can be the one to keep them there.

He has scored more than 40 points three times this season, dropping 44 on Oklahoma in an 82-78 loss.

"Rarely can you find someone who can be an orchestra leader and the lead vocalist," McKillop said. "You need to get on stage. He's put us on the stage. The name Davidson College is synonymous with the name Stephen Curry."